The VMBSG Women’s Network has experienced significant growth and engagement over the past year. We’ve hosted a variety of successful events that have provided valuable networking and learning opportunities for our members, featuring inspiring guest speakers and insightful discussions.

Robert Mitchelmore started Ryt Business Solutions Pty Ltd in 2011 after 14 years with Victoria Police and 10 years with the Victorian Building Authority. With extensive experience in investigations, Robert applies modern investigative techniques to manage cases, assess complaints, prepare legal documents, and handle court proceedings.

Prior to entering the legal profession Mat Sherwell was with Victoria Police for 12 years honing his investigation and prosecution skills.

Kirsty Leskie is an experienced lawyer who has exceptional project management skills. Kirsty uses these skills to assist her clients in running complex and high importance proceedings.

Stephen Hempel, a retired Municipal Building Surveyor and former Manager at Stonnington Council, has had a distinguished career in local government, serving as a Local Government Representative on the Building Codes Committee, a member of the Building Appeals Board, and a Committee Member of VMBSG. With qualifications including a Diploma

I started my carpentry apprenticeship right after leaving school and worked in the field for nearly 15 years. Wanting a change, I decided to pursue a career as a Building Surveyor, studying by correspondence while living in Mildura. After four years, I became a qualified Building Surveyor and began working

John Prendergast is dedicated to improving the building industry, particularly in the field of Building Surveying. With extensive knowledge of both the building industry and local government, John has a strong track record of leadership and expertise. He has previously served as the Municipal Building Surveyor for the City of

Peter Phillips has had a long and varied career in building surveying, starting as a Cadet Building Surveyor at the Shire of Eltham in 1976. He then moved on to the City of Melbourne, where he became Senior Building Inspector for the CBD. From 1992 to 2001, Peter held several

I am a qualified Civil Engineer, Municipal Engineer (Post Grad), and Unlimited Building Surveyor with 45 years of experience in local government, running my own private Building Surveying/Engineering company, and working in the waste management industry. I have served as Municipal Building Surveyor (MBS) for Ararat, Pyrenees, and Corangamite and

Brett Turner has been involved in the Building Surveying industry since the early 1980s, gaining experience in both private and Local Government roles. He’s a former President of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors (AIBS) Vic Chapter, where he served on the executive for over 13 years and earned the

Steven Baxas is the State Building Surveyor at the Victorian Building Authority (VBA), with more than 30 years of Local Government experience.

Steven was the Municipal Building Surveyor at the City of Melbourne for seven years and the Municipal Building Surveyor at the City of Port Phillip for 11 years.

Georgie is a partner with Macquarie Local Government Lawyers, a boutique law firm dedicated to providing legal services to Victorian Councils. For almost 20 years, Georgie has been passionately working within the sector, advising on a broad range of issues which are unique to Local Government – from mediating Councillor

Elizabeth is a founding member of the Victorian Municipal Building Surveyors Group Women’s Network and received the 2023 RKWN Award for her contributions to gender equality at Russell Kennedy.

Elizabeth is located in Russell Kennedy Lawyers Government, Planning and Environment group working predominantly for Local Government in prosecutions

Special Counsel Ian Pridgeon has a practical and outcome driven approach to addressing client legal issues. He has over 25 years’ experience in relation to state and local government regulatory matters, with a strong focus on building control. Ian has also served as a legal member of the Building Appeals

Jamie is an Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Fire Rescue Victoria. As the Director Fire Safety, he is responsible for the delivery of FRV’s legislative responsibilities in Major Hazard Facilities, Dangerous Goods, Waste and Recycling, Building Inspection and Compliance and policy and reform.

His department has also recently taken on

Clay O’Brien is a Lead Organiser with the ASU Victorian and Tasmanian Authorities and Services Branch, and has spent more than a decade representing workers from early childhood education and care, the Victorian Public Service, arts agencies, corrections and prisons, and local government.

He recently developed and delivered a WorkSafe-funded

Vujan specialises in building regulation, and advising State and Local government clients, boards, statutory authorities and private clients. He represents clients in the Building Appeals Board and Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, as well as the Magistrates’ Court and the Supreme Court of Victoria.

Vujan has specialist knowledge

Tané is a cancer researcher, bioinformatician, data scientist and science communicator. He is the CEO and co-founder of Future Crunch. He has a Masters in Bioinformatics from the University of Melbourne, and has worked for the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital diagnosing rare genetic diseases. As a data scientist and cancer